Hemp vs. plastic | Letter

Every piece of plastic ever made in the world still exists. Today I am talking to you about plastic product and how it is consuming our world.

Plastic takes up too 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill; bags take about 20 years; water bottles take 450 years and 600 years for fishing nets. All of these products can end up in the ocean, harming the marine life and even harming our life.

Sahera Kaplan of the Washington Post stated, “By 2050 there will be more plastic in the world’s ocean than fish.”

Instead of using the plastic products that are destroying our world, we can start using hemp plastic products.

It is believed that hemp first appeared in Europe in 1,200 B.C. From there, it spread throughout the world. England imported it from Russia in the 1600s. Hemp has been and still can be used for so many things like clothing, animal feed, restoring soil fertility, absorbing toxic metals, bio-fuel, reducing the effects of carbon emissions and preventing deforestation. Industrial hemp conserves water and supports sustainable farming practices. Growing hemp prevents soil compaction and erosion, builds strong and healthy homes and reduces air pollution. It can grow in almost any environment and can help curb world hunger.

In 1937 hemp was made illegal along with marijuana and is now only legal in 16 states in the United States. I know what you’re thinking, what is the difference between regular plastic or hemp? Hemp takes about four months to grow and only three to six months to decompose.

I want to ask you to put aside the fact that it’s hemp. Just think about how using this product can help our environment and ourselves. We are drowning in plastic and need to do something about it. We only have one earth. Let’s take care of it.